Babycakes Romero

This has got to be every chiropractor's worst nightmare.

Yes, his name is Babycakes Romero. He's a London based photographer who doesn't own a smartphone but walks around the city documenting people oblivious to those around them, choosing instead to interact with their phone. I do understand the statement he's making, that we spend entirely too much time consumed with our phones and other technology, often losing touch with those right by us. Conversely, remember he's only caught a moment in time. These people could have been quickly checking for the latest game score (like in the top image), looking for directions (in the middle image), but they could also be ignoring their dining companion (lower image). It's an interesting group of work that certainly says something about us as a social society. 

Really great street photography can be seen at

http://babycakesromero.com/blog/

This is a "portrait" of an eagle that I photographed for my good friend who is a taxidermist.  Since I can't use it for the portrait project, I thought I'd at least put him up on the blog.

Apparently when an eagle is found dead, there is a long list of Native Americans waiting to be able to own that bird. (As you know, even having an eagle feather in your possession is a jail-waiting offense). This particular eagle landed on an electrical line and you could even see that the bottom of his feet were black.

My friend is a huge bird lover and getting the chance to mount this eagle was a highlight for him. He asked me to take it's picture before the owner comes to pick him up.

I set up this shot in a corner of his basement taxidermy studio.  The set consists of a black backdrop, and one Canon Speedlight that was bounced into a reflecting umbrella. In need of a fill card to bounce some light into the left side of the bird, I grabbed the lid of a styrofoam cooler that he had lying around and used that. He got a huge kick out of my "ingenuity". I took about 50 shots and the whole thing took 75 minutes.

cpleblow photography

http://cpleblow.tumblr.com/

This is a photographer I stumbled across. I have such respect for people who can make fantastic landscape images. It looks easy but I've yet to make a good one that did not have a central focal point.

Lighting Demo

Stesha

This is our lovely Stesha, who posed for our portrait lighting demo. 

Mary Ellen Mark

Mary Ellen Mark
New York Street Photography


http://www.maryellenmark.com/gallery/portfolios/new_york_street/index001_new_york_street.html

I researched this group of work in preparation for our portrait assignment. These images are what I'd aspire to in doing the portraits of strangers. They are casual, and unstaged.



 

Herb Ritts

Herb Ritts

Herb Ritts

Michael Jackson by Herb Ritts

Herb Ritts, drawn to "clean lines and strong forms". Known for portraits and editorial fashion, Ritts died in 2002.  I appreciate the graphic quality of his photographs.



http://www.herbritts.com/images/